Yesterday I witnessed the new low of Big Brother Walmart. And no, Walmart wasn't busy late in the afternoon. Now let me ask you a question: if I sell you a car and you pay me for it, I give you the receipt and you are leaving my land .... why would the person who had witnessed my selling you the car and giving you the receipt for the paid in full sale stop you and ask to see your reciept? Opps, wrong way to word that. I should have said demand to see your receipt. This is the new joy of shopping at Walmart. You are headed out the door and you get stopped and asked to see your receipt. Not that they want to check anything off as being in the bags or anything. They just want to stop you and handle your little piece of paper. Now I can see if they think you stole something and they want to compare the contents to what the paper says but this is not the case. And yesterday this person was asked by an eldery man, she dug out the paper from her wallet and gave it to him. No "thank you" or "Have a nice day" or anything from the man who had forced her to stop in her tracks. then she walks less than (I kid you not) four feet and another employee asks for the paper also. Needless to say she told the lady that she had just given it to the other employee. The employees were not even nice about asking. So what do they gain by stopping you and barring you from leaving the store? The only thng they are doing is looking at the paper and writing over the top of it and the total you paid. Now this stranger knows how much you just spent. I guess they think they have the right to invade your privacy to see how much money you spent just now. It is no ones business how much money you just deposited in the cashiers hand and if it was cash or not. Nor is it right for any employee to randomly stop people and detain them for reasons like this. I for one would like to know the reason Walmart employees think they have police powers or even the power of a security guard hired to stop shoplifters from leaving after they have been witnessed hiding something, going through the checkout line without paying for it and leaving the checkout area to complete the theft. Remember that these people have not been accused of stealing and are just being detained because no one has said "Enough! I come in here of my own freewill. I pay for my items. I have the right to safe passage and not to be talked to like I am dirt beneath your feet. Enough, I demand respect! I am a law abiding citizen that you are holding against my will. You have no right to detain me." Also remember that the person has paid for their items and has never been out of the main walk area for any reason so they have been in full sight of every person and camera from the time they put the reciept in their pocket to the time they get stopped. This is harassment. Stop criminals and leave the lawabiding citizens happy to shop at your store. Is there a training course out there for people to learn how to respect other people? What happened to nice manners? What happened to treating people with respect?

So I respectfully say to the workers at Walmart ..... treat other people the way you would want to be treated. My time is valuable and I now own everything in those bags and the receipt also. Kinda odd when you think about it ..... you would think Walmart would be telling its workers to be helpful and talk nicely to customers. Yesterday I walked around the ladies department looking for a worker to ask a question to for ten minutes and the only worker I saw was putting things back so she could buy them later.

I am an employee of Coshocton Wal-Mart. I am sorry that the people greeters and others guarding the door were not as respectful as they should have been yesterday, but stop and think what yesterday was. ...BLACK FRIDAY...every single year, on black friday, we are required to stop every single customer going out the door to do a quick scan of the receipt...we see so many receipts, we don't even notice what you are spending...the main reason they did this is so that John Doe doesnt try to walk out the door with a big screen tv in his cart although his receipt only says he got some gum and a pack of underwear..I don't know why you or the other person was stopped twice, maybe the other people greeter did not notice the other one checking the receipt. You wouldn't imagine how many people walk out those doors everyday with something stolen in their pockets....When the security does stop some one, they have witnessed someone taking and placing the item in their purse, pants, etc. and have followed them through the whole store to make sure they don't try to discard or hide it...Yesterday is the only day out of the year they ask to see your receipt....you were not randomly stopped just for the hell of it....Wal-mart is not the only store in town that does this....I have seen people stopped at Peebles and Buehlers also for trying to get out the door without paying for something (and I just don't mean the stick of gum that accidentally fell into their pocket)....Stealing customers are not stopped until they are making an exit for the door....if you are just meandering around the service desk area, waiting for your friends, that is one thing, but when you are powerwalking straight for the door trying to get the hell out of there, that is another....As for the associate in the ladies wear, she was putting things back because people were DESTROYING all of the displays of clothing that were set out yesterday for the sale..as soon as those returns come back from the service desk, they have to be put away as quick as possible.....it was psychotic...people were acting like wild animals because the economy is sooo bad, but they had to have their wiis, big screen tvs, etc...stuff that they really couldn't afford, but they had to have it to keep ahead of the rest of their friends....as for the general shortage of help in the departments, we have asked for more help and management has turned a deaf ear more than once...we only hired a fraction of the normal christmas help we usually hire....any other questions?...I'll be glad to answer or if I don't know, I will try to get one for you...anyone else have questions or concerns?

I agree that some people need to be stopped but why have the alarm if you are not going to use it?

The workers stopping people did not open your bags! We shelf checked out, we could have had anything in that bag and no one would have known. The alarm went off when we went thur it and the worker told us to keep on going!!!!

I also agree that the shoppers are rude! We try not to be rude, but I do admit that when I am being pushed in the butt by a cart and say "Hey, please stop pushing me, we can only go so fast" and the person pushing tells me "Oh well" it really pisses me off.

I also would like to add that I witnessed 3 employees standing around talking about nothing that had anything to do with business. The poor girl at the self-check out was running around like a crazy person and they continued to "talk about things that had nothing to do with Walmart". They could have helped out or did something other than stand there bumpin their gums!

The people at Target in Canton were nice and polite, ( the workers) even helpful.

Speedshooter, thank you for the response! I don't understand why you would be required to scan reciepts? I can see checking receipt vs what is purchased that is not bagged but otherwise it seems like a waste of energy. I can see some exceptions like in the plant department in the summer. I have had employees compare the plants purchased inside to the receipt. That makes sense. When I was shopping yesterday it was pretty peaceful in Walmart. I always shop in the afternoon. Even black friday sales can't get me out of the routine I have here in the morning (every critter has a time table they get turned out, feed and watered on and if I change it I may have very unhappy critters that either won't lay eggs the next day or will bark all night since I let them stay in the kennel too long - love my critters but I admit that I have spoiled them all).

The lady in the ladies department was putting stuff up for Christmas (I evesdropped on a little bit of conversation she was having with a lady that was probably family since she wasn't wearing Walmart colors). I don't really blame her but I would have liked some help with the jeans. I still don't know if stretch jeans shrink! I was hoping to find regular ol blue jeans for wearing around here but I never found pants that didn't either hang way too low on the hips or say on the tag that they stretched. I like the old type Wrangler work pants (boot cut and no belly button showing). I imagine the sale was a mess yesterday. I saw on tv where someone was tampled at to death when they unlocked the doors somewhere.

Again I thank you for the response! It does help. And I hope they hire on some more help to give you a breather. I have worked retail before and it was very stressful around the holidays.

Sorry, attack-cat...By scan, I meant just glance over the receipt, not actually "scanning" it...sorry for the confusion...Groovey...they should have @ least glanced inside the bags to check, but that is out of my discretion, so I can complain till I am blue in the face and no one is going to listen to me...As for using the alarms, there are a few of our people greeters that drive me NUTS because the alarm will ding and they will just wave you on or not pay attention....I have said stuff time and time again and the management is like "ok, will talk to them"...yeah right!...it still happens!...They don't realize that everytime something stolen goes out the door, that is part of our paycheck!...70% of the time, the cashier has forgotten to deactivate something (it happens....you wouldn't believe some of the crazy stuff that has security tags on it), so no stealing is going on, but it does help to ask that customer if they don't have anything in their hands (even though we cannot stop them)...As for the chit-chatting....that needs to stop too....I am guilty of stopping to hold a conversation with another associate, but if I see any customer come my way, i always make sure to ask if they need help or at least acknowledge and make eye contact with them...there is never enough management out on the floor to make sure everyone is doing what they are supposed to do..there have been plenty of times where I have been out doing returns and I swing past all the departments to drop them off and there are 4-5 associates just standing around chit-chatting...While just doing returns, I have passed aisles that need straightened, zoned, etc. .....there is plenty to do!!....any other questions or concerns I can try to answer?

Speedshooter, thank you, I think that other then when my friend worked there I have not recieved an apology for anyones actions. I guess we forget that there are some that try to do their jobs to the best.

Thank you again, now I feel bad for stealing those videos.

I am sorry that was not very funny but I really could have because of how it was handled. Alot walked out I am sure.

So what would happen if a shopper who paid for their items, exits the store, and is asked to show thier reciept, but is in a hurry and refuses to do so... and keeps on moving out of the store to their car? What happens then? Do you use force to stop them? Are you allowed to? Then what.... after all... if their stuff is paid for, they did not break any laws, and the stuff in their cart and their receipt is legally thier own possesions now, right? So they should not have to show them if they do not want to, right?

I'm not sure, because it's never really come to that...99% of the people it happens to stop and let us check...even if they are in a bad mood, they will usually stand there and grump and gripe, but they will still let us check their receipts...the more experienced people greeters can usually just scan the receipt and figure out exactly what caused and the customer is on their way within 3 or 4 minutes....after a while, you can usually tell the difference between someone who is honest and those who have stolen (unless they are the really good, experienced ones who tend to work in groups)...The ones who are stealing usually are hauling ass out the door and will not even acknowledge that the alarm has went off...we have had a couple of the people greeters put their hands on the end of the cart and ask them for their receipt....they usually are like " oh my mom, girlfriend,etc. just walked out with it....let me go get it real quick"...and then they never come back because they know they are screwed...Some people get so angry when the alarm goes off, yelling "I didn't steal anything" and pitching a fit about, but Wal-Mart wouldn't have had to install the alarms if it weren't for a few people who couldn't pay for something and had to steal it....my point of view is that if you know you didn't steal anything, why get so pissy?..some people are so paranoid about others looking at them....if you know you are innocent, don't worry about it.....If I go to another store and I notice the cashier didn't deactivate an alarm on something, I will let the people greeter know that I will probably beep or I will stop and wait patiently if I do....

I wasn't really referring to setting the alarm off. I was wondering about wanting to check every receipt from every single person exiting the store. What if someone was in a hurry and did not stop to let them check their receipt when asked and the customer kept on going out the door? Do you use force to stop them from exiting the store to check their receipt?

The only time we check receipts like that is on Blitz day (Black Friday)...There are always 3 people greeters @ each door during the time of the sale, so it is kind of hard for them to get past...plus, most individuals know the routine of stores like ours on black friday and how security is tighter due to the multitude of shoppers that come into the store....I don't have a 100% answer on that, but like I said, it's never really come to that.

i too agree that our local wal-mart has some serious issues. never in any other wal-mart in or out of the state of ohio has anyone ever checked my receipt and looked through my packages other than coshocton wal-mart. i don't understand why. you say that they only check on black friday. well, seems funny to me that they checked my receipt 2 weeks ago to see if i had cat litter on my receipt because it was on the bottom rack of my cart and wasn't in a bag. mind you that the bag weighs 25 pounds, and the clerk didn't offer to put it in a bag. also, my husband paid for them and put the receipt in his pocket and walked ahead of me. i had to yell for him, be embarassed because of fucking cat litter. i don't agree with the receipt checking at all. that's what security cameras and plain clothed security that should be walking around the store investigating people that are stealing. i am not a thief, but i sure was treated like one that day. people, this is not sam's club, it's wal-mart. i haven't shopped there as much after they did this. i could understand if i was buying a big ticket item (ex: tv or computer) or an alarm went off. the only things in my cart were fucking cat litter and food. why would they be worried about a 2-3 dollar item?

Down here, Walmart Supercenters are within 5 - 10 minutes from every home. I've never seen so many. I know of 4 that is within 20 minutes or less from my house, and I live in the country. You can't fling a dead cat without hitting one!

Anyway, they all seem to be into receipt checking lately. One particular Walmart I stop at once in a while to buy a sandwhich on my way to work for lunch. I always pay at the quick checkout right by the door, right in front of the receipt checker. Mind you, this is around 4:30 am when it is very slow, and she is watching me pay for my sandwhich... yet she still wants to look at my receipt??? I need to get to work, and don't have time for this crap!

That is why I wondered if I just kept going... and did not stop. You just stood there and watched me pay for my sansdwhich, get a life supercop...fuck you I'm going to work. (That is what I want to say... LOL)

nsaids_nurse420...did you have anything else in your cart that was anywhere near a high ticket item (stereo system, sweeper, etc.)? ...and you said the alarm didn't beep @ all (even @ someone that was walking ahead or behind you?)....that's weird.....I have done people greeter breaks here and there, and I have never been told to check receipts randomly while people were going out the door. I apologize for the embarrassment you may have faced...

the greeter stated that since my cat litter was not in a bag, he needed to check my receipt. mind you, this was a 25lb bag of cat litter. we had no high ticket items that day, just cat litter and food. i was highly pissed. i can understand if we were going to go through the garden center. we went through the grocery exit. i was yelling for my husband who likes to start the car to warm it up before we get out of the car. i won't be shopping at coshocton walmart near as often as i was. i just get tired of the bullshit. thanks for understanding.

Once again, I am so sorry they did that to you....I do not understand why the people greeter would do that, since the cat litter is so heavy, they know it is not going to be put into a bag...if you return, I hope your other shopping experiences go a little bit better.

me too, thanks. i appreciate your kind words. we will go back, but we're purchasing less and less there. i do most of the grocery shopping now at aldi and what i can't get there, i get at buehlers or out of town. the prices for some staples are very affordable at either place, you just have to watch, and i don't have to make the long trip to wal-mart.

When you consider that shoplifting is a crime that keeps rising every year, and that anywhere from 10% to 40% of what you pay for an item pays for what got past the store security, it is easy to see why they check receipts. Since most of the people checking receipts get a level of training that amounts to "check the items in the cart against the receipt and mark it", it is easy to see why receipt checking is applied unevenly at times.Attack-cat, even though you went in the afternoon and the store wasn't busy, keep in mind that it might have been busy as hell a half-hour before you got there, and the people checking the receipts may have been doing that job for several hours before you got there. They were probably tired and had endured much abuse from the people they checked before you showed up. It isn't a surprise that they might not have much courtesy left by the time you got there. They probably felt like saying "Gimme your slip, asshole" but managed to stay civil, if not courteous, just a while longer. The ones that checked my receipt at 6 am were courteous, but they hadn't been worn down yet.Also, remember that your attitude may have played a part in how you were treated- were you in a bad mood or did you act pissed -off in any way? People will treat you the way you want to be treated, if you treat them that way. It's not a hundred percent true, but a surprising number will.

Subject: Can they MAKE you show them your receipt? Answer Sun Dec 21, 2008 12:34 pm

For the person who asked if they could MAKE you show your receipt. For the most part, no. They cannot make you show your receipt unless they have reason to believe you did not pay for the item or if you sign an agreement stating they can. Like at Sam's Club, the member agreement states you must show your receipt at the door.

On the day in question, Black Friday, I did not stop for them. I had a cart full of items and my receipt was in my hand in plain view and I did not have the time to stand in line and wait for them to check my receipt for items I already stood in line for to get and then stood in line for again to pay for. I walked right by. Of course they asked for it and I ignored them. I had to make it to Newark for the other stores' sales before they were over

Here is a good article about it:http://consumerist.com/consumer/civil-rights/the-straight-scoop-on-if-stores-can-legally-stop-you-and-check-your-receipt-217425.php

If you search their website, there are many more articles about it too.

Thanks for the link, but they have a loop hole, "Reasonable suspicion" that could mean anything from just looking around, or having your hands in your pocket. They got us just like the government, jay walk and you are a terrorist.

There is no competition is why the prices are higher...Zanesville, Newark, New Philly, etc. all have K-marts and other big name stores to compete with, so they will lower their prices to stay ahead of the competition. We comp local ads here in Coshocton, but that is all the further we will compare prices....There are exceptions to that rule though....we don't do Buy so many get one free, it has to be the exact item, or generic to generic (same size), no one day sales...

You know it's funny walmart has those detectors at the doors to help prevent people from taking things out of the store without paying for them. THIS keep the prices lower for you, yes it's no fun to be stopped at the door but if that means i can pay less for items then okay... and as far as being rude i have seen that their are a lot of people in this town that are very rude.

You don't noticed just how the people in Coshocton are rude, till you leave the state. Our trip was filled with such nice people. I don't remember one person being rude, people went out of their way to be nice. And the people don't look as ill, I didn't see the yellow sick, or dull eyes. Watch the people here, most look ill and depressed with flacid faces.